


La danse des masques (The dance of the masks)

by skymoonlight



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ballroom Dancing, Day 6: competition, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Masks, Modern Royalty, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:15:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymoonlight/pseuds/skymoonlight
Summary: A month full of balls that all the princes had to attend and, to make it worse, Kun had to host them all in the palace, being forced to endure that odious Thai prince who seemed to enjoy making his life miserable.The only good thing about the balls was that Kun could see that mysterious black-haired, gold-masked boy who took his breath away the first time he saw him on the dance floor. His name?Qinqin.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 83
Collections: In Every Lifetime: A KunTen Fan Week





	La danse des masques (The dance of the masks)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is part of the #kuntenweek2020 day 6: Competition
> 
> Please note that here the geography and types of government are adapted in the story for plot purposes!  
>  *****  
>   
>  _The story is rated E just because there's one explicit scene, if you feel uncomfortable with that, you can skip it, it won't made a significant change on the story._  
> 

"Why do we have to receive guests?" Yangyang hated these _protocols_ , every time some nobleman or royal member came to stay at the palace, or even just spending the afternoon with the Royal Family, they had to leave their rooms and go down to the first floor to greet with a smile on their face, no matter who that person was.

"Yeah, why do we have to do that? Shouldn't it be Mom and Dad's responsibility?" Chenle murmured, as he went down the stairs making a pout.

"It's part of our duty as princes, you know perfectly well, it's part of our education so that one day, if we're given the chance, we can govern properly," the speech automatically came out of Kun's lips, while Winwin imitated it next to him, making fun of his brother and trying to make him relax. Being the eldest, Kun was the one who had the most pressure about "becoming an exemplary prince", he was the one who all expected to take over the throne

He had to have exemplary behavior, and so he was raised, trying to instill the same thing in his younger siblings. He was afraid that if at some point he wasn't there, the pressure would be too much for any of the other boys, so he was trying to get them to learn how to deal with minor, but not less important, things: he took them with him once a month to visit orphanages, nursing homes, paint streets and greet people. He didn't want the boys' childhood to be as limited as his, but at least with those acts the people was going to be closer to them and they would have a realistic view of the situations faced by people outside the palace.

  
  
  
"All right, Mr. Grumpy, we already know it's our duty and blablabla, but that doesn't take away the boredom of haveing to spend hours waiting for thousands and thousands of people to arrive and we have to greet them with a smile on our faces. It's exhausting and our house is full of people."  
  
  


"See? Winwin-ge does understand us," Chenle said, hugging his brother.

"If anything, you should be the one who's most excited about this, shouldn't you?" Yangyang turned to the blond-haired boy and moved his eyebrows playfully, "You're finally going to see your fiancé, you're going to have him with you for a whole month."

Hearing this, Winwin's eyes lit up, his little brother was right, in fact, that was one of the events to be celebrated in that month, along with other political alliances and agreements to maintain peace between the countries. It seemed like it was yesterday when Yuta's mother had caught them kissing in the eldest's room, in one of the many times Winwin was dragged to Japan to attend diplomatic events and  other royal activities that did not interest him in the least. After that - and a long talk with the family of both boys- the parents accepted their relationship and, after a while, they got engaged. Now they only had to make the official announcement, even though they were in no hurry to make the wedding.

"Now let the talk for later, Mom is waiting for us. Hurry up" and after Kun said this, the four boys headed to the room where they would welcome their guests.  


The afternoon became endless to the boys, having a smile on their face for hours was quite exhausting, greeting each count, duke, marquis, nobles and their companions, and then accompanying them to their respective rooms -the palace was big enough to welcome all the guests, but still the number of people surprised the boys quite a lot, the palace had never been so full and, although it didn't feel so lonely now, Kun was concerned because he knew that many of the guests would be watching over them, over HIM, hoping for him to fail, to make the slightest mistake to judge him and say that he'd be a bad prince, not deserving of carrying the crown.

  
  
  
  
Immersed in his thoughts, Kun didn't notice when Winwin sneaked out with Yuta after he jumped into his arms as soon as he entered the palace, nor when Chenle volunteered to accompany Taeyong, Haechan and Jisung - princes of Korea - to his room, to then disappear, he was probably already planning some mischief with Jisung. Just thinking about it would give him a headache, but they were with Taeyong, his friend was almost as responsible as he was, so they were in good hands -or at least that's what Kun said to reassure himself. Lucas, Xiaojun and Hendery - dukes of different sectors of China and best friends of Kun- arrived a little later, but after making the boy company for a while, they got bored and went up to their rooms, inviting him to join them in a video game match when he finished welcoming the guests.  
  
  
  


At least that was an incentive for Kun, something he could aspire to as a reward after such an exhausting day. Only a couple of people were missing and he'd be free of his Real duties for the rest of the day.

Johnny and Mark -princes of the United States- arrived 40 minutes later, due to a backlog in flight, but at least only the princes of Thailand were missing and the afternoon of greetings would come to an end.

  
  
Yangyang was excited because he could finally see Renjun, one of his best friends - and his crush for two years- and, although Kun didn't know him very well, he knew he was a good boy, based on what he had heard from him. Curiously, the only royal member Kun didn't know was Renjun's older brother, Ten, since most of the time it was Yangyang who traveled to the meetings that took place there, and when Kun did, the other boy was traveling or studying abroad, and when they went to the royal palace in China, Kun had to oversee the provinces and check how things were going within the kingdom, so they never had a chance to get to know each other. He was hoping he was friendly, Taeyong was pretty close to the boy, so he assumed he shouldn't be a bad person.  
  
  


At that moment, the palace gates were opened and a short boy of Yangyang's age entered first, bowing to everyone in the form of a greeting, shook Kun's hand and then Yangyang's, who blushed slightly but still smiled from ear to ear. Then, his brother came in, a boy with black hair and fine features, mesmerizing at the sight of all, his walk had the grace of a feline that walks slowly to captivate the attention of everyone around him, but he did it naturally, with no intention of attracting the eyes of everyone, but Kun.... god, Kun couldn't fail to see it, he was so beautiful, so attractive in an inexplicable way, "ethereal", that was the only word that came to his mind at the time.

"What are you looking at?" asked Ten, in an perfect english with a little british accent, because every time such meetings were going on with people from different countries, they used that language as a universal way of communication. Faced with such a sudden question, Kun leapt and stepped back, coming out of his trance. He was embarrassed, he wasn't going to deny that, but he had to keep his composure, so he fixed his suit and extended his hand as he said "I am Kun, crown prince of China, nice to meet you."

"Yes, I imagine, we're in your family's palace after all, aren't we?" He rolled his eyes and approached Yangyang as he held him tightly and began to talking with him and Renjun, leaving Kun with his arm outstretched, still in shock at the young boy's uncourteous act.

  
  
  
  
  
  
One of the servants of the palace approached Kun and told him that, because some families had brought more people than stipulated, there was one less room for the guests, so his mother had said that his children should share one of the bedrooms, leaving the other free for the use of one of the princes who had recently arrived.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"What? But that's not fair," Kun said, privacy in his room was one of the few luxuries he could afford, the only time he could leave his perfect prince role and just be him, a young man who enjoyed music and tea. If he shared a room with his brother, he was going to lose the few moments of freedom he had in the day.

  
"Don't be a cry baby" ten interrupted, "it's only for a month, consider it a "bonding time" with Yangie. Don't worry, I'll take care of your room, I promise not to wreck things... not much, at least" and with that, Ten followed the servant who led him to the older's room, after winking at Kun, bothering him even more.

  
  
  
  


Yangyang took Renjun to his room and Kun was left in the middle of the hall, snorting, unable to process what had happened. He couldn't believe he thought that the boy was going to be kind or at least polite, and it turned out to be quite the opposite, his pretty face only served to camouflage his snakeskin, Kun could see it clearly at the time. That was going to be a long month.

  
_____  


The next day all the boys dispersed through the house and in the garden, as it was a few days before the celebrations began, Winwin and Yuta were preparing the last details for the announcement of their engagement, Lucas, Hendery and Xiaojun were giving their reports about the provinces in his charge - although they had told Kun that they would then meet him in the garden later. Chenle and Jisung were somewhere in the palace -Kun didn't want to know what mischief they were planning, but he was sure he wasn't going to try the ice cream they had prepared that morning, after seeing his younger brother carrying a bag of salt in his hands. Nothing good could come of it. Yangyang and Renjun were drawing in the art room, while Haechan and Mark had been in the music room for hours, that was one of the things that had made them so close, or so Johnny told Kun as they headed to the garden. According to him, Mark wanted to ask the other boy to be his boyfriend, but he didn't dare, and from the looks that both young men shared, Kun could understand why Johnny thought that about his brother. As they walked the path among the flowers and sturdy trees, both boys use that time to catching up.  


"The truth is, things are going pretty well over there, the kingdom is calm, once a month people can go to the palace to tell us what their complaints are or things they would like us to improve, and the country's economy is stable. Besides, as I mentioned, my parents have no problem with us being in a relationship with people of the same sex" Johnny said, "or well, they know we wouldn't listen to them if we were banned either." Both boys laughed at that remark as they circled one of the statues in the huge garden.

"Does that mean you're going to ask Taeyong to go out on a date with you?" Kun knew that his friends had been flirting for years but had never dared to have anything more serious - _I see where Mark got it from_ , he thought- and he also knew that Taeyong wouldn't hesitate to say yes the moment Johnny asked him.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I don't know.... Yes? No? I'm going to tell him what my parents said, and according to his reaction I'll see what I'm doing," Johnny sighed, he didn't want to admit it but he was scared, Taeyong had always been his best friend, despite the distance, and he didn't want it to be ruined if things didn't work out between the two. "Well, stop talking about me, what about you?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"The usual, real chores, etiquette classes, languages, sports, economics, and I have to accompany my parents to the activities in the village most of the time. I hate to be seen by all as if they expect me to make a mistake at any moment."

"I know, your kingdom has always been pretty strict about that, I'm sorry you got so much pressure on your shoulders" Johnny really wanted to see his friend happy, they've known each other for years and he'd seen how, through the time, the boy had locked himself more and more, without wanting others to see who he really was, always maintaining an image of a perfect prince, leaving no room for people to judge him. But he knew that if he allowed more persons, especially his people, to see his noble heart and kind character, they would want him even more. Times change, and so does people's idea of how their ruler should be. "Oh, look!" noted the boy "there's Taeyong and Ten, let's go to say hello" and just like that, the tall guy dragged Kun to his other friend, and Ten.

When they reached the table on the terrace where the boys were drinking lemonade, Johnny hugged Taeyong and then Ten, he hadn't seen the boy long time ago, so he sat next to him as they catching up, which Kun thanked, as he didn't want to sit next to him. Instead, he greeted Taeyong and chatted for a while, then expanded the conversation among the four, though clearly there was a tension in the environment, and it didn't go unnoticed that Kun and Ten didn't exchange any words during the talk.

  
"The day is perfect for some outdoor activity," Taeyong said, trying to make the situation a little more comfortable- how about riding a horse for a while?

"Oh, I really like the idea" Johnny loved all kinds of sports, and animals, so he smiled as a child when he heard the proposal, "the palace has a ranch next to the palace, right, Kun?" the other guy nodded "then, say no more, let's look for our suits and then we head to the stable to pick the horses."

  
  
  
  


Without giving rise to any more words, the boys got up and did what was agreed. Upon arriving at the stable, Kun approached his favorite horse, stroked his brown fur and gave him a carrot, while Johnny and Taeyong picked black horses and ten, a white one. _He has a good eye for the horses_ , Kun thought, that horse was as fast as his.

  
  
  
  


"Let's do something more entertaining," Ten said, with a naughty look "why don't we make a career? The loser has to stay until later brushing the horses and cleaning this place."

Johnny and Taeyong exchanged a little hesitatious look, both of them were good riders, but Kun and Ten had the highest levels in horseback riding so they knew the race was going to be mainly between the two, even though the boys didn't know it. Hoping that healthy competition would melt the ice between the two boys, the elders accepted and, after Kun nodded, headed out of the stable.

"All right, you know the rules" Johnny said, "as soon as the whistle blows, we started, the first to take a full turn of the field and jump the fence, wins."

The servant who was in charge of timing everything rang the whistle and the race began. The four boys joged with a jog at almost the same pace and, little by little, Johnny and Taeyong were falling further back, as Ten and Kun led the race. The oldest boys could only distinguish the colors of the horses, but apparently they were both tied. Ten, as competitive as he was, grabbed the reins and pressed his legs on the horse, making it gallop faster, but briefly was reached by Kun who, unintentionally losing in front of the boy, stroked his horse and then exerted more pressure, accelerating his step and zigzag-like riding, preventing Ten from trying to reach him. While near the finish line, he pressed the last time over his horse, and jumped over the fence, becoming the winner of the competition.

Then Ten arrived, clearly annoyed and, without a word, got off the horse, while gradually Johnny and Taeyong approached riding at a gentle pace. They had already lost, so there was no point in speeding up. When they arrived, they saw that "friendly competition" had not worked out very well, but they hoped they could fix it in the future. It wasn't possible for them to go the whole month without talking, was it? The horses were returned to the stable workers and Kun and Ten made their way to the palace, by separate paths, of course, after saying goodbye to their friends with a "good luck dealing with the smell of the ranch."  
****   
Ten entered his room - rather Kun's room - annoyed. He didn't know why, he was competitive but not a bad loser, he usually took the losses calmly and moved on. But there was something about Kun that made him feel.... He didn't know how to explain it, but it was like a magnet, though he wasn't sure if they were opposing poles that attracted, or equal, repelling each other. He was only sure of one thing: every time he saw him, he wanted to get close and at the same time annoy him. With that in mind, he entered the tub with bubbles that one of his servants had prepared for him before he arrived and remembered the conversation he had had with Taeyong in the morning.

_ "What did you think of the palace so far?" Taeyong asked, as he took a bite out of the cookies that one of the maids had taken them. _

_ _

_ "Normal" Ten replied, "it's bigger than I thought, but it's nice. Oh! I hadn't told you, but they gave me the crown prince's room... Kun? " He didn't want to make it obvious that he hadn't stopped thinking about that boy since he first saw him the day before, "although I don't think he liked the idea very much" he ended the sentence with a laugh. _

  
  
  
  


_ "Ah right, you met Kun!" Taeyong was very happy, he was sure they would get along very well, or at least that's what he wanted to think, "Well, I wouldn't be happy either if they'd taken my room to give to a stranger. But tell me, what was your first impression of him? He's a very sweet boy, isn't it?"  
_ _   
"He didn't look very sweet if I can say" Ten remembered when he reached out. Okay, maybe he was nice, but he kept looking at him with a serious expression on his face. He had become flustered and used his coping mechanism: being sharp and sassy. "Okay, okay, don't look at me like that, I admit, maybe I wasn't very polite either."  
_ _   
"Mhmm" Taeyong knew Ten very well, so he remained silent for a while and then remarked, "Well, you're always evil with people you like." _

_   
"What? that's not- "  
_

_ "Oh look! Johnny and Kun" Taeyong raised his hand to greet them from afar and beckon them to come. With that, the conversation ended, but Ten was left with that thought in his head _

_ _

"No, it's not that, I don't like Kun, I don't even know him. It must be something else. Maybe we just don't get along, nothing else" Ten came out of the tub and put on the silk pajamas that was on the bed, took his iPad and sat on the bed to draw while grumbling, "yes, it must be that, I'm just overthinking."  _   
_

______

After a couple of days the first masked ball in charge of China's royalty took place. Winwin and Yuta's engagement was to be announced at that event, and then the party would begin. The other balls were to take place throughout the month in the different embassies of each country, those buildings that represented the presence of other kingdoms and their good relationship with China, and many lords, nobles and even some local people were invited to such events.

Between Winwin and Yuta, Kun was the most nervous, he didn't know how the people would take the news that one of the princes was publicly coming out. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened, but he was still frightened by his brother, by all his brothers. What if they got hate? If the people refused or asked them to leave their title? Winwin, on the other hand, was much quieter. "Kun, please calm down, the worst thing that can happen is that people don't like the idea that one of the princes of the kingdom likes penises, and that's not going to stop me from marrying the man I love. I know that you think that the expectations they have about us must be fulfilled, and that our duty is to make the people happy, but it is not. That is a lot of pressure, what we have to do is worry that the people are ok, that there is no poverty or crimes, that every family is healthy and they do not lack a plate of food on the table, if all that is done, our work is done. This is also a tip for you, gege," Winwin grabbed Kun by the shoulders and looked him in the eye, "I know you want to keep that image of "perfect prince," but you're human, you have the right to feel, to be free and do whatever you like, let yourself have fun, at least tonight, okay?"

  
  
  
The evening continued its course and, to Kun's surprise, the people took the news quite calmly, proclaiming their blessings for the young and happy couple -surely the fact that this ensured that they wouldn't have a war against Japan within a long time had something to do with it, seeing the eyes of the people who relaxed upon hearing that their monarch's partner was part of the Japanese royalty was a proof of that. After the announcement and exchange of engagement rings, the couple performed a short dance in the middle of the hall, to the sound of the royal orchestra, then joined the rest of the guests as they moved to the rhythm of the music through the dance floor.  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
"Here is his mask, Your Majesty," one of the servants give Kun's black mask with golden ornaments, and then got lost in the crowd. Once his face was covered, he went among the people who moved to the beat of the sound that filled the atmosphere, dancing with different people, girls and boys who then changed partners or went to fetch some drinks to cool off and continue dancing. While dancing with a young woman, he saw in front of him a boy with black hair, with a golden mask, a design that matched the one he wore, he didn't dance with anyone in particular, only for himself, his body moved with a mesmerizing fluidity and grace, and Kun couldn't take his eyes off him. When they made eye contact, the mystery boy smiled at him, like making him join his dance, and so Kun did, leaving the girl who was with him with the first person he found next to him. As he approached the boy, he realized that his features - at least the few he could distinguish between dim lights and the mask - were delicate and fine, almost as captivating as his dance. The music changed to a slower melody, and Kun walked away a little and bowed, as if asking him to be his dance partner. The boy cheerfully accepted and began to move to the rhythm of a soft melody, hands on his shoulders and at the waist, sliding across the floor as people made room for them, casting admiring glances at the precise movements that the couple performed, it seemed that they had done that many times, not being strangers to the presence and touch of the other. Thus they continued throughout the night, song after song, dancing to the beat of different melodies, bodies together and exchanging brief chinese words to each other's ear, ecstatic with the undeniable chemistry between the two and the intangible flirtation present in every move they made, always together and in sync. When it was 4 am and the orchestra announced it was the last song, Kun wondered if he should ask him to see him again, but if he asked him his name, he would be risking his reputation as prince. " _Allow yourself to have fun_ " the words of his brother resounded in his head, he could always give another name, and as long as he had the mask on he would not be recognized. Besides, there was always the possibility that the other guy would refuse, he had nothing to lose.  
  
  
  
  


The song was ending when Kun approached the boy's ear and asked "can he see you again?" to which he replied "Of course, you're going to go to the next dance at the Japanese embassy?" Kun nodded and, after seeing that answer, the mysterious boy smiled as he approached and kissed him on the cheek, as he whispered "then I'd meet you there." After that he began to turn away, but Kun remembered one thing and took it by the hand, "I still don't know your name," he said, and the boy answered with a vague hand movement "you can call me _Qinqin_ , and you?", "Call me _Xiao Dan_." " _Xiao Dan,_ I like the sound of it, I see you in a couple of days," and with that the young man got lost in the crowd, as people dispersed and Kun stayed in the middle of the hall, savoring the boy's name between his lips, " _Qinqin_ , I already want it to be the next dance to be able to see you again".

That night Ten quickly went up to his room, he hoped that no one would have recognized him, no matter how liberal he was, he didn´t want to be found flirting so openly with a stranger in a dance full of monarchs, nobles and local people. But he was sure it was difficult for them to recognize him, after all, he was wearing a mask and the only times he had spoken to the boy he had done it in chinese, so it was unlikely that he would recognize his voice, as it sounded deeper when he changed languages. Yeah, no one was going to know it was him, besides, in that way, the other guy wasn't going to treat him like he was unreachable, it would just be two guys having fun. With this in mind he took a quick shower and went under the sheets, thinking of the soft hands that had held him during that night as they danced, falling asleep while sighing a soft " _Xiao Dan_ " with a silly smile on his lips.  
____

The next few days were pretty quiet, Johnny and Taeyong looked much closer since they had to clean the stable - Kun suspected something had happened that day, but he was going to wait for one of his friends to decide to tell him. Renjun, Yangyang, Haechan, Mark, Chenle and Jisung got along very well, so they spent every day together, played, watched movies, ran around the house and even one day tried to cook -the lesson learned was to never let them into the kitchen alone again, or let them to approach the fire. Kun had gone out with Xiaojun, Lucas and Hendery; how much he had missed his friends and their antics! Everytime Hendery talked, he made Kun laugh with his crazy jokes, and the other boys didn't stay behind. That was one of the things he liked the best: spending time with his friends, it made him feel like a normal boy and, for a few hours, he could detach himself from the title of prince and be free for a while. It was a pity that he could only see his friends very occasionally, as each was in charge of maintaining order in their respective provinces assigned

The second ball was going to be held in a few days and, as the next stop was the Japanese embassy, Yuta -and thus Winwin- were deciding the last details of the decoration. They wanted everything to go perfectly, for they had to leave a good impression on what would be their sister nation.

Ten had been helping with the preparations, since he liked art a lot, but they still couldn't decide whether they wanted a darker setting, with cold colors, or a warmer, full of color and joy setting. When Kun arrived, Winwin dragged him to join them, as the discussion was nowhere to come.

"Choose, the ornaments on the right or the left" Kun squinted and, after thinking about it, replied "people are going to have fun, I think a more colorful design would be more appropriate for the occasion."

"See?, I told you" Yuta, proud of his choice, gave a high five to Kun.

"But the dark colors are more sober, more elegant, the Japanese architecture surrounding the embassy" Ten had remained with that stance from the beginning, but had failed to convince Winwin, who supported both themes. "Plus. The colors will make it look like a children's birthday," he wasn't sure why he added the latter, but he was glad when he saw that had bothered Kun.

"Yes, they are more elegant, but the colors give more life to the place, which itself looks like a blank canvas, the watercolor paintings representing different parts of Japanese history as well as serving as an ornament tell the story of the happiness of the nation in a more visual and attractive way, which will help people appreciate our new sister country more. "

"But-"

"Besides," Kun continued, interrupting Ten, at this point no longer mind being polite to him, "the people of our village are often tired from the long working days, stressed and sad, many will take their children to the ball and leave earlier, and even go on to visit the place after the ceremony, the use of colors is more attractive to a family audience, and it will make them feel warmer, so they won't see the building -and therefore the nobles and royalty who are associated with it- as something distant, but as people close to them. That's what I think." After saying that, Kun turn away without looking back, so he couldn't see the expression of disbelief on Ten's face, he was never left speechless, but this time he didn't know how to respond to Kun's arguments , which bothered him even more.

  
  
  
"Well, I guess it's decided, we'll use the color theme," Winwin looked at Yuta, who nodded, giving his approval.  
  
  


"Thank you for the help, Ten, see you later" the couple walked away to let them know their decision to the people in charge of adorning the embassy, while Ten was heading to his room in silence, irritated.

  
  
  
  


After closing the door, he opened the wardrobe and took one of Kun's hoodies and put it on. It was big, but it was comfortable and the smell of the garment was strangely familiar, perhaps that was why he had been wearing the clothes that the boy had not taken with him to the room he now shared with his brother for days. Ten climbed into bed, grabbed his iPad and started drawing - it was the only thing that helped him calm down and let his thoughts flow.

"Idiot, who does he think he is to talk to me like that," he muttered, as he unwittingly sketched out Kun's profile..   


______

A few days later Kun was again in the middle of a hall full of people wearing masks, some were dancing, others were coming and going out of the building, admiring the architecture and others touring the building, taking photos with the paintings that filled the walls on the second floor. _I knew it was a good idea, colors always attract people's eyes_ , Kun thought, proud of himself,

As he toured the place, he saw Johnny and Taeyong escaping through the employee exit - he didn't want to know what they were going to do - he saw his younger brothers and their friends dancing in a corner, excited as they enjoyed the food that was at the table next to them. Winwin and Yuta were talking to some people from the village who were coming to congratulate them for the party and for their engagement, both guys looked very happy, and Kun was glad to see his brother smile like that, it was noticeable that Yuta made him happy - _I hope one day I can find someone to look at me the way those two look at each other_ \- Kun thought, as he continued to tour the place. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize where he was walking, so he tripped over someone and almost threw him to the floor.

"I'm so sorry" he automatically said in Chinese, while holding the other person, helping him not to fall.

"That's your way to get back to me? I have to say I didn't expect it," a familiar voice replied, and at that moment Kun was able to distinguish a familiar mask in front of his eyes.

"Nice, because I'm full of surprises" Kun's stomach did a somersault when he saw the smile appearing into the boy's lips.

  
  
  
  


"I'm ready to be surprised" the boy indicated the exit door with his head, took Kun's hand and went out into the street.  


_There's nothing to be worry about, we're both wearing masks, so do most of the people on this block because they were invited to the party. Yeah, there's no way for them to know who I am_ \- Kun thought, mostly to calm down, because no, there was no way for him to refuse to change that suffocating place where he was for some fresh air next to _Qinqin_

  
  
  
  


"So.... tell me about you, _Xiao Dan,_ do you have brothers? sisters? are you from here? what do you like to do?"

"Those are a lot of questions" Kun laughed as the other guy crossed his arms and pouted "let's do something, we both answer every question, so we know each other better, what do you think?" Ten -or rather " _Qinqin_ "- nodded his head and lowered his arms, holding Kun's hand again.  


"Then, are you from here?"

"Yes, I'm Chinese, born and raised here, you?"

"No, I'm a foreigner, I come from.... uh, another country" Ten hesitated at the end of the sentence - _idiot! you can't say you're from Thailand. How many Thais are in China right now and were invited to this party_. _Think before speak!_ \- the boy scolded himself mentally, he had to be more careful with his words. Besides, _Xiao Dan_ probably was thinking he was an idiot - _of course you come from another country if you're a foreigner!_ \- but the boy was polite enough to pass up that embarrassing remark.

"Well I must tell you that your chinese is very good, almost native, if weren't because you mention it, I'd have thought you were from here too" Kun was really impressed, as a prince, he had been forced to learn different languages, but he knew that chinese was one of the most difficult, so even monarchs who had been learning and speaking that language for years couldn't dominate it 100%.

  
  
  
  


"Thank you, thank you," Ten replied, with a bow, "I've studied it for as long as I can remember, and I really like to learn things, especially languages, so it really wasn't too difficult. The trick is to keep the mind active and always learn something new."

"Mhmm... a smart guy, I like it. Now, do you have any siblings? are you an only child?"

"I have a brother, he's adopted, but that doesn't make any difference" Ten smiled at the thought of Renjun, the little boy had a very special place in his heart, because his first years of life weren't easy, and Ten was always by his side. He even thought if he were his blood brother, maybe his bond wouldn't be so strong. Being the person who found the 6-month-old in a basket in the palace garden caused Ten to defend and protect Renjun since the day he took him in his arms and the boy didn't want to let him go. "I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, he's my baby and I love him very much. What about you?"

"I.... well, I have several brothers, I'm the oldest so I've seen them grow up and I've spent more time by their side than our parents, so you could say I'm something like a father figure to them, especially for the younger ones" Kun recalled how Winwin cried at night because of the nightmares and he was the only one who could make him calm down, how he had to run after Yangyang to force him to take a shower and end up touring most of the castle, or how he had to hide all the matches in the house after preventing Chenle from setting fire to the library curtain when he was 3 years old. "It has been... exhausting, to say the least, but I adore them with all my heart."

  
  
  
  


Ten intertwined his fingers with Kun's "must have been difficult, I only have one brother and I already feel that it is a lot of work, being the older, they grow up seeing you as an example to follow, it is a lot of pressure - _even more so if you are a prince_ , Kun thought - I can't imagine how it must be with more brothers".

"Yes, but it's worth watching them grow up and knowing that they trust you to come in case of any problem they have, it's a beautiful feeling" Kun began to draw circles gently in Ten's hand as they turn around the corner of the street , "Let's continue with the questions, favorite color? hobbies?"

"Mmmm... black, but I also like purple a lot. And hobbies... I really like to draw, to design and see the world through sketches. I also like music, especially dancing, although I don't sing badly either, and you?" when he saw that _Xiao Dan_ was shivering, Ten went into a store they were going through and bought 2 cups of coffee. Seeing the other boy's smile when he tried the coffee, the shame of going in to buy with a mask on his face was worth it.

"Favourite color? orange, like the sunrise, and hobbies, well, we have something in common: music, I know how to play the guitar, the piano, I like to sing and compose songs, to be able to express my feelings through my writings accompanied by music that highlights the message is... liberating, is when I feel freer, being able to say what I think without having to restrict myself to what is "politically correct" and just being me." _Maybe I said something too personal, why is he looking at me like that? What if I scared him? Stupid, Kun, you can't open up that easily in front of someone you hardly know-_ Kun thought, after a moment the other boy approached him and, tiptoeing, bowed and gently kissed _Xiao Dan_ on the lips, it was something as fast and delicate as the slash of a butterfly.

  
  
"I fully understand the feeling" Ten separated from the boy and found warm eyes that saw him staring through the mask, "it's what I feel when I draw, sometimes they are abstract and unconventional things, but it's a liberating way of expressing what I feel, because if I don't, I'd probably explode" he let out a laugh and took again _Xiao Dan'_ s hand, resuming the way back to the embassy, in a peaceful silence that was only interrupted by a "by the way, thank you for sharing your feelings with me."  
  
  


When they arrived at the embassy, the party was ending, the younger ones were scattered in an armchair at the back of the room, Johnny and Taeyong were drunk and laughing over anything Lucas, Xiaojun and Hendery said -Kun was glad to see that they were becoming friends- and Winwin and Yuta kept talking to politicians who congratulated them on the organization of the party and tried to convince both boys about the possibility of engaging in an inter-Asian alliance between several countries, diminishing interests between nations- which clearly suited them more than the boys, who respectfully listened to the ideas of the rest of the people.

  
"Well, I think it's time to say goodbye, " Ten leaned over and got very close to _Xiao Dan_ , leaving only a few inches away between the two, "will I see you at the next ball?"   


"Take it for granted, I'll look forward to the next time I can see you" and unable to resist, Kun shortened the distance between the two and kissed the boy as delicately as the last time. With a smile on his face, he watched the boy blushed, turn around and walk away as he waved his hand in the air.

Kun's family had to stay a while longer at the embassy, and if it wasn't for Kun's ability to save the situation in a diplomatic and cordial manner, those politicians would have continued to try to convince his brother and his fiancé for who knows how long. When Kun was finally in his room, with the light off and after making sure Yangyang was sleeping deeply in the bed next to him, allowed himself to think about _Qinqin_ , he was so... special, it felt very natural to talk to him, without having to think about the best way to ask a question or how to give an answer that pleased everyone. Ironically, _Xiao Dan_ gave him the chance to be himself, unlike "Kun, the perfect prince." With _Qinqin_ he could be free, he could enjoy what Kun didn't, he could live what a young man experienced at his age.

_At least I can have you until the balls come to an end. For now, I'm going to enjoy every second by your side, Qinqin._

That night Kun went to sleep with a smile on his lips, butterflies in his stomach and a boy with black hair and mesmerizing smile in his mind

  
_____  
  


It was Thursday afternoon and, despite the time of celebrations and political agreements, the young princes were to continue their education. Chenle, Jisung, Mark, Haechan, Renjun and Yangyang had spent all morning studying international history, and in the afternoon, unfortunately for the kids, maths. The elders, on the other hand, had had economics classes and were now heading to the practice room to continue developing their fencing skills.

The class began quietly, the boys warmed up for a while, practiced the movements the coach indicated while moving around the room. By the end of the class, they had to form pairs to practice: Yuta and Taeyong, Ten and Winwin, Kun and Johnny. 

"Who get more points at the end of the 3 rounds, wins" the instructor gave orders and took his whistle "in your marks, ready, start"  


With each round the boys got more tired, but they always tried to do their best, Yuta and Taeyong had the same amount of points, while Kun and Ten had a big lead over their respective opponents. After the three rounds, the coach put both boys to compete, as there must be a tiebreaker.

The atmosphere was tense and the rest of his friends followed each other's movements without even blinking, it was evident that they were both at a higher level, and it was difficult to predict who would win.

"I didn't know you were a good fencer" Kun stepped forward with the foil in hand.

  
  
  
  


"There are many things you don't know about me, Qian" Ten managed to dodge it gracefully and, taking a quick turn, touched the boy's torso with the foil, earning a point.

"Yeah, well, I'm not interested in knowing them" Kun quickly put his foil on guard, blocking Ten's rapid attack.

"Keep repeating that until you believe it" Ten took a step back, taking a distance from his opponent, while thinking about his next move.

  
  
  
  


The way he moved was so flowing, so free, with a mesmerizing grace that he couldn't let his eyes off him. _Where have I seen those moves? I'm sure it's not the first time I've seen them._ Kun was so engrossed in his thoughts and in the way Ten moved that he failed to dodge his attack, so the other boy was declared the winner.

"All right, boys, please shake your hands on a friendly farewell, and so we can end this class," the instructor approached Ten and Kun and took off their florets, while his friends took off their protective suits and went out the door.

"Now we're tied" Ten held out his hand with a not entirely innocent look on his face.

"Not for long" Kun shook the boy's hand and again had a sense of deja vu, as if he had taken Ten's hand before. He quickly walked away from the boy, took off his suit and after saying goodbye to the instructor, went to his room. _Qian Kun, you must be hallucinating._

  
____  
  


The American embassy was very... well, American, Kun thought. Johnny had shown her some ornaments he planned to use for the ball his nation was in charge of, but he never thought it'd look like this: ostentatious, with large paintings, large screens everywhere that showed the crowded cities and the big shops that were in the USA, and a lot of food that looked like a fancy version of what you could find in a McDonald's which, of course, that was the favorite place of the younger ones, who went straight to the table after making the obligatory greetings to the guests. Johnny was showing the place to Taeyong, who was with his arm intertwined with the boy's, eagerly listening to the stories he told about every place shown on screens, while Yuta and Winwin had joined the people who danced on the dance floor, moving cheerfully to the rhythm of the music.

Kun felt a gentle touch in the shoulder and, as he turned around, he encountered a black-haired boy and a mask that was familiar to him, "look who came to me first"

  
"Oh, shut up" _Qinqin_ gave him a slight push and then went over to kiss him gently on the lips "do you want to stay here or do you prefer to go out for a walk?"

"In fact, I was thinking we could do something else" Kun took the boy's hand and dragged him to the entrance, where he had hidden a basket with several snacks "how about a picnic?"

"Oh!" the boy's eyes lit up when he heard the idea "I know there's a beach near here, right? can we go there?"

  
They walked silently until they reached the sand, took a moment to take off their shoes and, a couple of yards from the sea, extended the blanket that came inside the basket and sat on it, pulling out sandwiches, biscuits, juice, fruits and a dark chocolate cake that Ten took over as soon as he saw it.

At this point it was a tacit arrangement to keep the masks on, but Kun couldn't help but wonder who that boy would be. He was a foreigner, so even if he wanted to see him again after the balls, it'd be impossible, and maybe the boy wasn't interested in anything more than having fun for a couple of nights.

"What are you thinking?" Ten was excited eating a big slice of cake, looking with curious eyes at _Xiao Dan_

_About you, but I can't tell you that, you'd probably be scared and you won't want to see me again._

"Oh, it's nothing! It's just that a long time ago I didn't come to the beach, much less at night" Kun opened the pot with strawberries and started eating them, while _Qinqin_ wrinkled his nose when he saw the fruits.

  
  
  
  


"Really? I usually go often, sometimes I go with my brother, but he prefers to go by day while I prefer the night, it helps me to relax, to clear my mind when I have many things to think about, it is therapeutic."

"I hadn't really thought about that, but you're right, the sound of the waves is pretty soothing"

  
  
  
  


"Try this" Ten took the strawberry pot - now empty, so does his plate with cake - and, along with the basket, put them on the side of the blanket and lay on his back, looking up at the sky. He took _Xiao Dan'_ s hand and invited him to join him, being left with his hands together and his fingers intertwined while looking at the stars "some people count backwards from 100 to relax, I prefer counting stars, it's prettier and, if you lose the count, you have an excuse to stay a while longer looking at the sky. When I was little, I used to talk to the stars, they're very good listeners, you know?" Ten sighed, "If I wanted - if I want, rather, because I still do- something, I usually look for the brightest star, the one closest to Earth, and I make a wish. I usually do it for my birthday, most of the people ask for their wishes silently when blow the candles, I prefer to do it alone and out loud, hoping that the constellations will listen to me"

"And have your wishes been fulfilled?" Kun felt _Qinqin'_ s cold hand, so he began to blow it into heat, the boy laughed timidly in front of this act, and caressed Kun's face, without daring to look him in the eye. "Yes, they have been fulfilled, though they're never wishes for me. Rather, I ask for the well-being of my peo- I mean, my family and friends. I don't really need nor want nothing - _at least not until now_ \- but yes, they've been fulfilled"

  
  
  
  


"I have never asked for wishes, neither for my birthday nor for Christmas. I knew that anything I wanted would be very difficult to get, because they aren't material things. And I try to give my best day by day so my... uh, family, be well, in order, happy and have nothing lacking, although if I had asked for a wish, it would probably be the same as you."

  
  
  
  


"And how do you celebrate your birthdays?" Ten got closer to the boy, as it was starting to get cold.  


_ It's more of a celebration for the people, it's a holiday across the kingdom, small parties are organized across the country to commemorate that I turned one year older, and I have to go visiting some of them, thanking people who don't know me and only do it because they expect to win the money my parents give to those who offer the best party and the best gift for each of their children.  I'd rather spend it at home, with my brothers and friends, watching movies and eating cake till get stomachache, that's all.  _ "Ehh... my parents usually throw a big party, with a lot of guests, including people I don't know, and so we spent the whole afternoon. It's not something I would ask for, but it makes my parents happy and that's what's important. And you, how do you celebrate your birthday?"

_Exactly the same way, but in my case it's a week in which my parents celebrate Renjun's birthdays and mine, since they're not sure when he was born, and we have to tour the kingdom as they do various festivals in honor of us , with music and dance and everything is very beautiful, but it's also exhausting not to be able to enjoy your birthday in the way that you would like, only with your friends and close family. Besides, people clearly use such festivals as an opportunity to reach out to my parents and try to get bonuses and benefits on top of the rest of the people, trying to use us, flattering us to earn the blessing of our parents. _ "Let's say I celebrate it in a similar way to your, even though the party extends for more than a day. It's not what I would choose, but, as you said, if that makes my parents happy, then that's fine."

  
You are shaking" Kun noticed how Qinqin shivered beside him, so he sat down and looked in the basket for the other blanket he had brought - with 3 younger brothers, he had learned to be careful in all situations and always carry extra things- he also took out a thermos filled with chamomile tea and served two cups, one for him and one for the boy who was now wrapped in the blanket.   


Ten surrounded _Xiao Dan_ with the blanket and both were very close, sharing the heat of the flannel while drinking tea in a comfortable silence that had as its soundtrack the sound of the waves breaking on the shore.

"Look, a shooting star" Kun was surprised, in his life he had seen very few shooting stars, but the way they adorned the sky in such a beautiful way and for such a brief moment never ended up fascinating him.  


"Quick, make a wish" Ten closed his eyes, and _Xiao Dan_ did the same.

_That this moment lasts forever, with you by my side._

Both boys looked into each other's eyes and smiled, Ten rested his head on the boy's shoulder, and so they stayed for a long time, until it was very late and they had to go back to the ball. Neither of them said it, but it was clear that they were looking forward to the next dance.

  
_____  
  


It was a quiet afternoon when an unexpected rain had caused everyone to stay inside the palace, Jisung, Chenle, Mark, Haechan, Renjun, Yangyang, Xiaojun, Lucas and Hendery were running a Harry Potter marathon -Chenle had never seen them, so it was an unanimous agreement of the rest of the boys to spend the afternoon watching the whole saga- all accommodated in the multimedia room, since the giant screen made the experience much more pleasant.

Yuta and Winwin were playing video games in the room of the latter, while Johnny and Taeyong had spent the afternoon cooking different dishes for the next ball -Taeyong wanted to be a good host, and what better that the prince himself had prepared part of the food to be served in the celebration!

  
  
  
  


For his part, Kun had taken advantage of the day to lock himself in the music room and open his heart, composing and searching for the perfect lyrics to describe how he felt. Erasing and rewriting, leaf after leaf the floor was filling up with lyrics of love, confusion and insecurity, but the words didn't seem to be correct, they were not enough, they didn't express exactly how he felt - perhaps, being honest with yourself, not even he knew how he felt. Although the melody did like him, but there was something missing... maybe he should make it slower? faster?

"Try to play it in a higher tone" A voice surprised Kun, who was immersed in writing and erasing in his notebook.

"For fucking sake, Ten, you scared the hell out of me"

  
  
  
  
Ten was leaning on the wall near the door "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" he laughed softly and _maybe, just maybe_ Kun's heart stopped for a second. "Also, Qian, Kun, the perfect prince of China can curse? I thought you they didn't taught that in etiquette classes."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 _Yes, I'm definitely hallucinating, it's impossible for my heart to react like that for an idiot like him, why do he like so much to bother me?_ \- Kun thought  
  
  


"What do you want, Ten, why are you here?"

"Wow, calm down, Mr. grumpy - _why does everyone call him that?-_ I come in peace" the boy raised both hands in the air, emphasizing his words "I was just looking for a quiet place to draw, and it's very cold in the library. I didn't mean to interrupt your music session, or whatever you were doing."

"Okay...."

  
  
  
  


"Although, as far as I can see, you have trouble composing, the boy pointed to the floor full of discarded paper balls. "As I told you when I came in, try to up the tune of the melody, it's going to sound better."

Kun, skeptical, tried and, to his surprise, it really sounded much better. He hated admitting, but Ten was right.

  
  
  
  


"See? I told you" with an expression of satisfaction on his face, Ten headed to the sofa in a corner of the room and crossed his legs, unlocking the screen of his iPad and starting to draw.

"Are you going to stay here? Without even asking?"

"I helped you with your song, didn't I? consider it a barter in exchange for me to stay here. I promise not to interrupt you. Keep doing up your music, pretend I'm not here."  


Reluctantly, Kun accepted and continued his composition. He quickly forgot that Ten was present in the room, but curiously the music and lyrics flowed much faster after the boy entered the room.

They spent the afternoon in silence, Ten had taken a photograph of Kun while he was writing, and decided to portray him. His art was usually in black and white, with red tints from time to time, but this time he decided to use his entire range of colors, he wanted to portray the beauty of the boy perfectly, the brightness of his eyes when he concentrated on what he was doing and the way he tilted his head.

  
  
  
  


At one point Kun started singing, he wanted to see how it fits the lyric with the melody, and Ten was surprised to hear it, he had a very beautiful voice, it was like a warm hug on a cold winter day. As if he were hypnotized, he rose from the sofa and walked to the piano, sitting next to Kun.

"Don't stop, it sounds really good."

  
  
  
  


And so the boy kept playing, usually he didn't like people to hear him sing, much less show one of his compositions to others, since they were one of the most personal things he had, but with Ten he felt different, he felt...right.

At Ten's request, he played the song again, and this time the boy immediately started humming along with the music, so Kun encouraged him to join him and, surprisingly, the voices of the two combined perfectly, making the song sound a thousand times better.

  
  
  
  


The rest of the afternoon they spent singing various songs, some happy, some sad, even laughing as some of them went out of tone or their voice cracked in the middle of the song, but it was still one of the best afternoons they had passed.

_Maybe... it may not be so hard to get along._

  
  
  
  


That night Kun went to sleep with a smile on his face and new melodies forming in his mind. That day had helped him to have the insipiration that had been lacking so much in recent months.  


Ten, on the other hand, started drawing again before going to bed and, wearing one of Kun's sweaters again, settled into the bed and began sketching the two boys in the music room. As he didn't have a photo, at least he would have that as a reminder of one of the days when he felt happiest.

  
___  
  


Taeyong was very excited to host the ball that night, had prepared sweet, savory, bittersweet dishes, with soups, with meat, vegans, desserts and salads, and seeing everyone enjoy what he cooked with love made him very happy.

"Look at him, he's glowing with joy," Johnny walked beside Kun as they toured the Korean embassy "he always says that what makes him happy the most is making people happy, and look at his face, how it shows that he loves to see people enjoy what he cooked"

"Wow, you're really in love, aren't you?" Johnny nodded and Kun, not surprised at all, said "can I assume you're officially together?

Johnny bowed his head, looking at the floor, "yes, from the day of the horse racing we're together, we uh... we had a conversation in the stable and, well, yes, now we're together" the poor boy was red as a tomato remembering what had happened that day in the stable.

  
  
  
  


"Okay, I don't need any more details, thank you" Kun rushed to stop his friend, he knew that when he got nervous he would start talking non-stop and would surely tell him details he didn't want to know, "Anyway, I'm glad you're together, you deserve each other and, well, it was time! we all knew this moment was going to come sooner or later."

  
  
  
  


After chatting a few more minutes with his friend, Johnny walked away looking for Taeyong, leaving Kun alone while touring the rest of the embassy as he looked for a familiar mask. When he found _Qinqin_ , he greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and he, embarrassed, took him by the hand and dragged him out of the embassy.

At this point it was clear that they felt more comfortable being alone than being in the middle of a crowd in the hall, so they walked silently, holding hands until they found a playground and sat on the swings.

"So you missed me?" _Qinqin_ grinned with a mischeivous smile on his face.

"You wish, I didn't even remember I was going to see you tonight until you showed up in front of me" Kun returned an equally naughty smile and _oh god! Qinqin's heart melted whenever he saw him like this, so confident and unwaverated at his flirtation.._

  
  
  
  


"Yeah, sure. I can't believe you if you looked at me with puppy eyes the first moment we made visual cont- don't push me so hard! Ten held harder on to the chains of the swing - _at what point had the other boy got up and started pushing him as he swung?_  


Kun laughed "that's what you think of, not everything revolves around you, Mr. Self-Centered" but after that he continued to gently push him, at a quiet pace as the boy swayed. "Anyways, why did you choose a playground, among all the places we could go?"

"I don't know, when we were passing by I remembered the last time I went to a playground and... I don't know, I was... curious? nostalgc?"

"I remember when I was little, I loved to tosss on a slide - _well, on the slide they put in our garden because of course, how would they let the little prince go and play with the other kids in the park, as if he were a normal boy? crazy, no?_ \- and always asked for a higher and higher throw, I wanted to get to the sky" Kun recalled all the times his servants accompanied him in his game afternoons, when Winwin was still too young to join him.

  
  
  
  


"My favorites were always the monkey bars" Ten remembered how he loved hanging himself from those irons, even if the park was only in his garden and rarely invited other children of nobles to play with him, he could have fun with himself in that game. "I loved seeing how fast I could get to the other side and oh! trampolines, how I loved trampolines, I could spend hours and hours jumping, though of course, I'd end up dizzy and headached after that," he laughed as he recalled that time he vomited after going jumping straight after lunch - lesson learned, never doing that again.

"Since I was a child I always liked high-rise games, those that, as I mentioned, make you get closer and closer to the sky. At that time I wanted to be a pilot, I was fascinated with the sky, with the freedom it gives you, with how immense it is and how you can get lost in it, among the clouds - _though of course, it was all before I knew that I couldn't choose my future, that my whole life was planned by someone more from the moment I was born-_ and you, Qinqin, what did you want to be when you grow up?

"Me? I wanted to be an elementary school kids, even from a young age I liked the idea of working with children, maybe that influenced a little bit the ease with which I became attached to Ren- with my younger brother - _although of course, that's impossible, the most I can do is visit the children in orphanages or going to schools and giving them gifts at Christmas, but always as "prince",_ _I can't even disguise myself as Santa Claus to go unnoticed, and the children don't treat me like any other guy who's going to give them love, I'm always "Their Majesty," and they treat me with fear, as if I were going to hurt them_ \- but unfortunately I couldn't fulfill it for... various reasons, although I still like children very much."

  
  
  
The boys had changed positions, and now it was Ten who was swinging _Xiao Dan_. "You said you liked games that brought you closer to the sky" the boy nodded, "then I guess you like roller coasters, and all those things they have in the amusements parks for those masochists who like to suffer in the heights."  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kun laughed at the comment "I really couldn't tell you, I've never been to an amusement park - _it's not as if the prince could go on any given day and line up among thousands of people, no matter how much I liked the idea._

  
  
  
  


"Never, really?" Ten stopped and surrounded the swing to see _Xiao Dan i_ n the eyes "then let me be the first one to go with you, I'll show you all the games there are" after that he went back to his post, rocking the boy back in the metal game.

  
  
  
  


"We could also cycle around the park, have a picnic at noon," Kun smiled as he said this, just imagining it would trigger a shot in his heart, and a bittersweet feeling was present. He knew he couldn't keep his word, he could never reveal his true identity, but for now he could dream, just a little more, he wanted to live a little more inside that fantasy bubble that they had both built.

  
  
  
  


"I don't really know how to ride a bike, but can you teach me, can't you?" Seeing _Xiao Dan_ nod, Ten was able to see them both walking through the park, holding hands, with the boy holding him behind while trying not to fall to the ground on a bicycle. They'd have dates like that every week, and they could see each other every day. He knew that was only a dream, that after the balls ended he would return to Thailand, and that even if it weren't, he couldn't show his identity to the boy. They were making plans in vain, but it was an illusion he didn't want to break yet, he was going to enjoy until the last moment they had together. But the last dance was near, and with it, they would also have to say goodbye.

  
  
The rest of the night they continued making plans that they both knew would never come true: trips to be done, places they would like to meet, dreams to fulfill and concerts to attend.  
  
  


When they said goodbye, Ten closed his eyes, waiting for the soft kiss they always shared, but _Xiao Dan_ didn't do that, he didn't stand the wait, the clock handles counting the days left next to the boy, so he kissed him hard, raw, desperately, and _Qinqin_ returned the kiss with the same intensity, wanting to keep every detail in his memory, how the boy's touch felt, what he knew and _oh, god,_ there was a time when he couldn't take it any more, because he knew that wouldn't end well if they kept kissing like that in public. After a moment, he parted ways with the boy, caressed his face with both hands and said goodbye, hoping to see him the next - and last - time.

  
  
  
  
That night Ten didn't wear Kun's sweater, instead he slept hugging his mask, while replaying the touch of _Xiao Dan_ 's lips on his own, as tears ran down his cheeks.  
  
  
  
  


Kun, on the other hand, took a long shower to drown out the sound of his sobs, as he didn't want to wake his younger brother. When he had no more tears, he put on his pajamas and lay down hugging the pillow, wishing that was _Qinqin_.

_____  


All the princes were having breakfast in the dining room, except for Yangyang and Renjun, who had gone for a walk early to tour the garden. After half an hour full of laughter, crisscrossing conversations, toast and coffee, the boys dispersed through the house, except for Kun and Ten, who had been the last to get up, so they came to breakfast later. Sleepy, each one headed with a cup of coffee to the garden, as the day was clear.

As they headed silently to the exit, they saw Renjun running in and down the stairs quickly and Yangyang came behind him.

"He went up to his room, didn't he?" the boy asked through gasps, because of the race.

  
  
  
  


Kun and Ten nodded and watched as the boy turned and went up the opposite stairs, on the way to his own room. The elders exchanged glances with a tacit message from big brother to another big brother, and each went to where their little brothers were.

  
****  
  


Ten gently knocked the door and, after hearing no answer, poked his head in.

"Can I come in?" Renjun was sitting on the floor with his head hidden between his legs, unanswered, so Ten went silent and sat next to his brother.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" the youngest shook his head and, after being silent for a while, decided to talk.

"Yangyang said he liked me, " the words sounded muffled because the boy was still hiding his head between his legs.

"Oh, baby, that's good, isn't it? You like him too."

"Yes, but he doesn't know it. I'm an idiot and I ran out when he told me. He probably thinks I don't like him and he'll never going to talk to me again""

  
  
  
  


"Honey, I doubt very much that Renjun will think that of you" Ten took his brother's hands and forced him to raise his head, looking him in the eye "but I'm curious, why didn't you tell him you liked him too? You've been having a crush with him for years."

  
  
  
  


Renjun turned red and lowered his head "am I so obvious?" you didn't need to look at Ten to know that he was nodding. 'I'm afraid, I don't want to disappoint Mom and Dad, they have had enough trouble adopting someone who doesn't have blue blood running through his veins. I'm supposed to like girls, I have to leave heirs when I grow up, what are they going to think of me when they find out I like boys?"

  
  
  
  


"Junnie, look at me. Our parents LOVE you, they wouldn't trade you for anything in the world, you're as much their son as I am, you're part of the family from the moment they decided to let me enter into the house caring that basket where you were in. No matter what happens, no matter what you choose, they're going to love you unconditionally, just like me - who, by the way, also likes boys, in case you haven't noticed."

  
  
  
  


Renjun laughed when he listened to his brother, he wasn't very subtle trying to hide his attraction for boys "but it's different, if you're not going to leave descendants, and neither am I, then who? What if the people want to exile me? What if they treat me like if I were sick?"

  
  
  
  


"My little boy, you're not going to be the first or the last member of royalty to be attracted to same-sex people. Before us there have been other monarchs like us, and the people have accepted them without problems, so don't worry about it. And as for the descendants thing, Renjun, you are living proof that you don't need to have blue blood in your veins to be part of the royal family. Adoption is an option, artificial insemination and womb for rent as well. The ability to govern a country isn't determined by what genes are inscribed in your DNA, but by the love you feel for the people, and you, Renjunnie, you have that from day one. You have always been interested in accompanying me to nursing homes, in going to help remodel those places intended for the rehabilitation of people, you worry about charity campaigns and the association of children that had suffered burns. And that, my boy, is not inherited, you were born with it and no one can take it away from you. So don't worry. If you really like Yangyang, go and tell him, before the boy gets nervous and start to think you turned him down."

"Thank you, big brother, for always being by my side, for supporting me and helping me with my problems every time I need it," the boy came up to his brother and gave him a strong hug. Ten messed his hair fondly and then separated from him "now, go talk to him before it's too late."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Renjun stood up and, after turning to look at Ten for encouragement, he went out the door to find Yangyang.

Ten, on the other hand, stayed on the floor of the room, thinking about what he had said to his brother. It was true, their parents loved them and he knew that, even if were hard for them at the beginning, they would eventually accept the person their son loved, regardless of whether it was part of the royalty or not. Blue blood doesn't make you a better person, but a good-hearted person can be part of the royal family.

_Maybe... maybe there's a chance for us._  


****

Kun entered the room he shared with Yangyang and found his brother locked in the bathroom, he could hear the boy's sobs.

"Are you going out so we can talk?" Kun knocked on the door, but his brother wouldn't open.

"No"

"Do you prefer us to talk through the door?"

  
  
  
  


There was a silence and Kun took that as a yes.

"All right, then, what happened to Renjun?"

"I-I-" the boy sobbed a little and, after calming down, continued "I told him that I liked him, a lot, for a long time and he just fell silent and then ran away. Do you understand? He doesn't like it, the idea of another guy liking him, the idea of ME liking him, and I probably won't even be able to be his friend anymore."

  
  
  
  


"Yangie, don't say that, maybe Renjun got scared, maybe he didn't know how to answer and that's why he ran out, give him time, he probably wants to talk to you after he thinks well what he feels."  


"No! His face was unreadable, you didn't see it, but I did, there was fear in his eyes. What if he's disgusted by me? What if he doesn't want to talk to me again? I should never have confess, it was stupid, I should have been silent."

"Yangyang, open the door" the boy listened to his brother's authoritarian tone, he almost never wore that tone with him, except when he misbehaved and had to scold him.

"Come here" Kun took his brother by the arm and made him sit with him in bed. "Don't say that, you were very brave in daring to tell him your feelings, not everyone has the courage to do it. You shouldn't feel sorry for your feelings, or repent for what you feel. Love is a beautiful feeling, and you must allow yourself to feel it even if it is not reciprocated - which, I must clarify, I highly doubt to be this case, have you seen how that boy looks at you? It seems like the sun shines only for him when he sees you." Yangyang looked down as a soft pink color peeked at his cheeks. "You should never shut up what you feel, you can't win if you don't try, and you tried, now it's just up to him to think what his answer is going to be. If you he say he feels the same for you, then it's perfect, you can be together and enjoy this young love. If he says no, well you tried, and you won't be wondering _what would happen if..?_ and trust me, if that's the case, you'll eventually become friends again, unrequited love doesn't have to ruin years of friendship. Have faith, in the worst case, things will return to normal and you'll remain as close as always. Renjun is a good boy, give him time and you'll see he's going to give you an answer."

  
  
  
  


Yangyang sighed and looked at his brother, "yes, I suppose you're right, I can't go back in time, so I can do nothing but wait."

At that moment, Renjun knocked at the door "Yangyang, can we talk?" The boy, frightened by the answer, looked at his brother, who gave him a firm squeeze in his hand, reassuring his brother and articulating a "go talk to him" with his lips.

  
  
  
  


The younger one stood up and slowly approached the door and left the room to speak with Renjun.

  
Kun sat on the bed thinking about what he had said to his brother. It was true, the bravest thing you can do is to face your feelings, you can't win if you don't take the risk.

_You risk to being rejected, but also to have your happy ending._

_Maybe was worth to try..._

_ _

***

Ten had kept busy the following days: planning and helping with all the details of the ball, the thai embassy was where the cycle of celebrations and agreements would end, and his parents had called him to tell him that they should leave a good impression, they wanted to encourage the tourism of chinese citizens in Thailand, so this was the perfect chance to promote their nation and encourage people to visit their country.

  
  
  
  


Finally, when the day of the ball came, Ten was standing on stage, along with Renjun, giving the welcome speech, in a flawless white suit and styled hair. After inviting people up to the second and third floors of the embassy, where there were different virtual games and simulators that recreated the feeling of walking through the different streets and sectors of Thailand, people dispersed and the orchestra began playing music as the dance floor gradually filled up.

Ten gave Renjun a gentle push to go dancing with Yangyang, who was waiting for him with his hand outstretched. The boy wasn't used yet to public displays of affection, let alone being boyfriend with the boy he likes! But he listened to his brother and, shyly, he approached Yangyang, heading to the dance floor.   
  


Mark and Haechan had left the room as soon as the welcome speech had finished, and the other boys, Jisung, Chenle, Lucas, Xiaojun, Hendery, Johnny and Taeyong had come up to try out the virtual reality machines. Being honest, it had been a very good idea, Kun had told Ten that he had been thinking about that to promote tourism in China, but that he could use those machines that night to do the same with Thailand. After all, it was good for both countries to get along, so as they, who lately weren't fighting that much anymore, they were mostly jokes but nothing serious.

Ten had that in mind when he went down to the basement of the embassy, where there were rooms for workers who sometimes couldn't afford a residence in the country.

  
  
One of them was designated to Ten, who had slept there the night before, preparing the last details for the ball. He quickly went down the stairs, changed his clothes and put on a black suit - as everyone had seen the prince wear a shiny white suit - he messed his hair, took his mask, and before leaving, checked the drawer to make sure he had what it was necessary, _just in case_ , he thought, he wanted the last night to be worth it, he wanted to remember it forever, and he wanted to share that special moment with someone special to him.  
  
  


It didn't take long to find _Xiao Dan_ , who was walking around the place looking for him with his gaze, and smiled widely when saw him. He came to greet him, and they shared a no-so-tender kiss as the elder held him and dragged him to the dance floor. Kun wanted to remember what it was like the first time he saw him dancing in the crowd, moving in a mesmerizing way that attracted him as a magnetic field, like earth attached the Moon, like _Qinqin_ attracted him.

  
  
  
  


Each song was like a clock that sounded on their heads, reminding them that they only had a few hours left together, and for that very reason they enjoyed each song, danced to the rhythm of the joyful music, fast dances, strong moves and sweaty bodies just inches from distance, but they also enjoyed slow dancing, swaying at a gentle pace as _Qinqin_ rested his head on _Xiao Dan_ 's shoulder and he posed his hands at his waist.

  
  
  
  


"I want to enjoy this night to the fullest" Ten sighed in the boy's ear, sending a chain of chills through his backbone.

"Me too. With you" Kun walked away only a few centimeters to see the boy's eyes, and then leaned to kiss _Qinqin's_ lips, with despair, desire, with... something he wanted and hoped the feeling to be mutual. _Qinqin_ , without wasting time, hung himself on the boy's neck and returned the kiss with the same intensity, bringing it so close to his body that, if it were possible, he would have fused it with his.

  
  
  
  


When _Xiao Dan_ issued a serious growl, Ten couldn't take it anymore, took him by the hand and with a "follow me," dragged him downstairs.

"Is this legal?" Kun asked, through the fog that flooded his mind at the time.

"Yeah, these are the rooms for some workers and I, uh, I know someone, so we can rest easy here."

"If you say so"

  
  
  
  


Kun put the latch on the door and, when he turned around, _Qinqin_ grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and drew him closer to him, pushing him over the bed as he kissed him.  


They were making out for a long time, without haste, without fear that anyone would find them or that anyone - besides the person they had in front of them - would recognize them. Tongues fighting for dominance, sighs, groans and growls, gradually the ground was filled with clothes, but the masks were always present, although neither seemed to annoy them. Kun caressed _Qinqin's_ body with his hands, touching every piece of skin, filling with kisses every inch that covered the boy's body, and _Qinqin_ groaned, he wanted more, he wanted to do the same the boy was doing to him. When he couldn't take it any more, he grabbed _Xiao Dan_ from the wrists and changed his position, standing on top of the boy, kissing him abruptly, biting his lip and pumping out a growl from the boy who made him tremble, approached his ear and began to give him soft kisses near the lobe, biting from time to time and causing _Xiao Dan_ to writhe under him. Then he went down to his neck, giving soft bites on his collarbone and sucking hard on his neck, at least the hickeys would be a memory that would last for a few days.

When Kun put his hands down and squeezed _Qinqin's_ ass, he jumped hardly and whined "enough, fuck me, right now!"

"Mmm... we have a grumpy kitten" Kun teased the boy, even when his erection was clearly visible "what are the magic words?"

Ten, as stubborn as he was, wasn't going to let himself bend as easily, "oh, fuck you, I'll do it myself," the boy lowered his hand to relieve himself, but _Xiao Dan_ grabbed him by the wrists, rolled and put each knee next to the boy's hips, holding his hands on his head.

"U sure about that?" as hypnotized, he saw the boy gulping and when they crossed glances, he saw the same hunger that he felt reflected in the boy's eyes. With his free hand he descended through the boy's soft chest, abdomen, reaching the edge of his pelvis, where a tempting path of hairs made its path tho the south. He continued to descend and began to caress the inner part of the boy's thighs, raising and descending with his fingers, gently rubbing _Qinqin's_ crotch, making him jump and thrust in the air, silently pleading for more rubbing. When he stroked the head of the boy's cock, he whined with all his might, almost crying, "okay, I give up, you win. Please, PLEASE fuck me."

Kun smiled when he heard that and, after asking _Qinqin_ if he had a condom and lubricant - the boy had anticipated that and have kept it in the drawer - he began to prepare it, slowly sticking each finger inside the boy until he was dilated enough to support _Xiao Dan_ 's lenght.  


They made love all night, between kisses, caresses, and sighs; no hurry, no worries, just thinking about the here and now. In that little space there were only the two of them and that was all that mattered. After several rounds and when both boys were extremely exhausted, Kun quickly cleaned _Qinqin_ up and joined him under the sheets, falling asleep with cuddling, as if none of them wanted to be apart of the other boy, fearing of losing him, scared of never see him again - and deep down, they both knew that's what would happen the next morning.

Before falling asleep completely, both boys looked into their eyes and, in a state of semi-consciousness, sighed an almost inaudible "I love you", then fell asleep on the pillow.

The next morning Kun was the first to wake up and, after seeing the boy in front of him - or well, rather the mask that now was printed on his mind - he approached and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead "再见,亲爱的 我永远不会忘记你 (Goodbye, my love. I'll never forget you)."  


After that, the eldest got up and dressed in silence, turning his back on the boy who was still sleeping, if he kept looking at him, it would hurt even more. When he finished, he gave him one last look and left the room.

  
___  
  


No one asked where Kun had spent the night - it's not as if they'd noticed it - and they assumed that Ten stayed the night in the Thai embassy, so the next morning the princes were surprised when they saw Kun walk through the door while they were having breakfast, but no one asked anything. Later Ten arrived and quietly went up to his room.

The first to return to their country were Taeyong, Haechan and Jisung, but as Johnny and Mark wanted to spend a little more time with them, and their flight took off only a few hours later, they all decided to go to the airport together. Ten and Kun said goodbye to their friends separately - for some reason, they felt strange in the presence of the other, as if they had done something wrong, as if they owed explanations to each other, which made no sense, they couldn't even consider themselves friends, right?

  
  
  
  


Johnny invited both boys to visit him in the United States soon, and Taeyong hugged them both very tightly, telling them he hoped to see them again soon and "Kun, please answer the messages more often." The younger ones said goodbye to their hyungs -Mark had started to use that term too- and then left.

  
  
  
  


Lucas, Xiaojun and Hendery had left that morning, so they hadn't managed to say goodbye to Kun, but it wasn't a problem, as they seen each other often; and Yuta was going to stay a couple more days to be by Winwin's side.

  
  
  
  


Kun and Ten spent the afternoon locked in their rooms, while Renjun and Yangyang enjoyed in the garden the last moments together, although Renjun's parents had promised him that he could visit Yangyang next month, and had invited their future are son-in-law (those words made Renjun want to open a hole in the ground and swallow him) for him to visit when he wanted to. _"Seriously, son, you can come live with us if you want!", "mom!!!" yes, something like that had been the conversation they had with Renjun's parents._  


As the time approached for the Thai princes to leave the palace, Kun went to Ten's room - his room - to say goodbye to him and, after he left, finally being able to rest in his bed and miss Qiniqin without his little brother asking him why he was so sad.

Ten was finishing packing when Kun knocked on the door frame -the door was open- asking to let him enter the room.

"Sure, come in" Ten made gesture with his hand, emphasizing his words but avoiding the boy's eyes "I just need to pack a few more things and the room is completely yours again" Kun laughed as he saw the boy rolling his eyes as he said the last sentence.

"Well, even if you don't like it, IT'S my room" Kun sat on the bed and, after seeing that Ten was struggling to close the suitcase, he offered to help him.  


"You zip up that side, I'll do the same on this side" Kun started closing the suitcase, but because of the pressure, something jumped out to the floor. "Leave, I'll pick it up" the boy approached the object and nearly fell to the ground when he saw an extremely familiar mask.  


"Q- _Qinqin_ , what is this?" the boy asked in Chinese, with shaky hands as he slowly turned around.

  
  
  
  


"What's wha-" Ten opened his eyes widely when he realized that: 1. he had answered in Chinese, not in English, as he always did when he spoke to Kun; 2. there were only 2 people who knew that name, and it was impossible for his brother to have commented on it with anyone else, so there was only one option left, and 3. that voice was _too_ familiar, he had it etched in his head, body, heart and soul. But it was impossible, it couldn't be true, it couldn't be HIM, could it?

" _Qinqin_?" Kun asked again.

  
"X- _Xiao Dan_?" Ten asked back, and when the boy nodded he ran up and hugged him tightly.

Kun held him by his chest for a few minutes, while they both wept tears of disbelief, joy and... fear? realization? They weren't sure about it, but the feelings were so strong, they could only calm down in each other's arms. When they both stopped crying, Kun took Ten's face in his hands and wiped away his tears with his thumbs, "I can't believe it was you all this time."  


Ten tiptoed and reached the boy's lips, kissing him softly, but conveying many feelings with that little gesture.

"Kun" sighed the boy, as he finished the kiss and walked away to see him in the eyes.

"Ten" Kun sighed again, seeing the same love he felt reflected in the boy's eyes, and hugged him again as he smiled foolishly.

****

Much to their regret, the Thai princes had to return to their country, so over the next few months Ten and Kun only communicate by daily text messages and video calls.

Life was good, Kun felt less stressed, he managed to handle the pressure of his real duties better, and he was almost always smiling - his mother let him know this from day one, and she was very happy to see her son so happy.

Ten, on the other hand, managed to focus more on his role as prince, he took note of things he hadn't noticed before in the village and got more involved in the activities of listening to the people, and his parents were happy to see that "Kun is a good influence on you, son, " and, although Ten hated to admit it - not really - they were right, and he was very happy to have found someone who complemented him so well.

After a couple of months, Ten he moved into the Chinese palace, because "to improve tourism in Thailand, we need to know up close what attracts chinese people" and "besides, I have to practice my chinese, it is very rusty." Or at least that's what he told his parents to convince them, although it was clear that it was clear that his motives were different. So Ten was going to stay in the palace for a year and a half - or until he had a complete vision of the culture of that country," which could take as long as he wanted.

"Who knows, maybe in the future our countries are going to be sister nations" Ten was lying on the couch with his head resting on Kun's lap, while they ate popcorn and watched a movie - at least on Friday nights they could spend time as a normal couple.

"Do you say it for Renjun and Yangyang?" Kun looked at him with a naughty smile, clearly knowing what his boyfriend meant.

"Yeah, sure, I'm talking about those two lovebirds."

"Mhmm..." Kun bowed his head and kissed Ten, moving away after biting his lip, letting the boy whining with a pouty face "It probably would happen, in some point in the future" and then he continued to kiss his boyfriend, who kept stretching his lips to catch a kiss.

  
  
  
  


Neither of the boys knew for sure what would happen in the future, but it didn't matter, the only important thing was the _here and now,_ it was a lesson they both had learned, and from now on they were going to enjoy every moment they were together.

  
  
  
  


The end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, I really liked this world, so I'm thinking about writing more about the other characters, there's still a lot to tell!  
> Please let me know if you'd like to know the story of them and if so, tell me which ship/story you're interesed in!
> 
> Kudos and comments are really appreciated.
> 
> Any question, feedback or whatever you can leave it in the comments, in my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/fairieaurora)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/fairieaurora)


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